As the night wore on, the arrival of several others, including twin girls who I later found out was Chaos’s sisters, arrived in the dead of night, and a woman named Kitty with a small baby. Though there was plenty of room for everyone, the cabin was filling up quickly. I didn’t know what I was doing half the time, but Caroline told me to just help where I could and make sure everyone was comfortable. It was after three in the morning when I heard motorcycles coming up the long trail.
Getting out of bed, I walked into the living room to find Shamrock and Grimm on either side of the front door, guns in their hands, waiting. When they saw me, they motioned me back into the hallway. While standing there, I could clearly hear the bikes shut off and someone walking up the stairs.
“I’m serious Healer, they ain’t tellin’ us everything.”
“Oh, shut up, Ink. Nobody wants to hear your conspiracy theories tonight.”
“Seriously man, if you don’t stop, I’m going to kick your ass myself.”
“All three of you, shut up. I think Grimm is just itching to shoot us where we stand, isn’t that right, Grimm.” I clearly heard Healer shout.
I peeked around the corner to watch Grimm open the door and stand firmly in the way as Healer, Ink, Axel, and Chisel surrounded him.
“Reaper sent us here. Said you’d need our help.”
When Grimm didn’t move, Healer sighed. “Look, man, I’m tired. I got off a forty-eight-hour shift only to come home to find the compound in total lockdown. Then, I get escorted in by Savage of all people, only to find out that Ghost is back with the rest of the brothers and some shit is going down. Shit, I don’t want to know about it. What I do want is a bed and total silence. Can you at least let me have that?”
Grimm huffed and moved to the side, letting the men in.
Once the door was closed, I walked out into the open asked, “How is he?”
Healer walked over to me and smiled. “He’s fine, Remi. Just taking care of club business. He will call when he can.”
“It’s about me, isn’t it?”
Healer nodded and replied, “Some of it, but not all. Don’t worry. Reaper and Ghost have it handled.”
“Come on, babe,” Shamrock smiled, coming over to me. “It’s late. Let’s get you back in bed. I know you’re tired.”
Nodding, I did as Shamrock instructed and went back to my room. Climbing back into bed, I reached for my phone and texted Max again.
Me:Max?
Me:I’m getting worried.
Me:He found me, didn’t he?
I didn’t know how long I looked at my phone, but I started to wonder if I was doing the right thing when no reply came. I saw all those federal agents at the compound when we arrived back after our trip. It was a glorious day, and I hoped that we could do it again soon. But with everything that happened afterward, I started to wonder if I made a mistake by coming to Max after all. I brought so much baggage with me, too much for one person to handle. The bastard who was after me was relentless. I knew he would never stop, and he would kill whoever was in his way to get to me.
That much I was sure of.
The thought of Max going up against that evil bastard was enough to make me cringe. Max didn’t know what the man was truly capable of. I did. I only told Max some of the things, not everything. The man was sadistically depraved, and his cruelty knew no bounds. I’d seen the sacrifices, the bodies, the blood. I watched as he drank from the dead, children who never had a chance, the politicians who helped keep his secret, who stood beside him, encouraged him to do more. I saw the rituals, the parties, the orgies where they sodomized children, women, and men. I never knew such evil could be real until I witnessed it with my own eyes.
I couldn’t tell Max the real truth. I didn’t want him to know what really happened. I fought most of my life to forget the horrible things that happened to me, and at one point, I thought I had succeeded. But then I was sucked back into the nightmare. That was when I stopped believing that I would never get out. For years, I let that bastard do as he wanted with me, raping me, giving me to his friends, sharing me. Then there were the whippings, the beatings, the bloodletting just to make him feel superior. I couldn’t do it anymore, none of it. I tried many times to take my own life, only to be punished when I failed. Then, when I saw my chance to be free, I took it, not caring if they killed me or not. At least then, I would be free of them forever.
I could tell that Max knew I was holding information back from him. I was thankful beyond belief that he didn’t pressure me for more. I only gave what I could, no more. Just laying there in this bed, I wondered what he would think of me if I were to tell him everything? Would he think less of me? I knew I wasn’t strong enough to stop my father, my mother, the evil bastard who turned my life into a living hell. Honestly, hell would have been a vacation to what I endured. The sickness of the whole ordeal still rattled me to my core most days, and if it weren’t for Max and the rest of his brothers, I would sink deep within myself, never to be seen again.
It was them.
My heroes.
My Protectors.
My own Reaper of Justice.
Finding Max and the Golden Skulls was a real blessing that I would be forever grateful for. Though I brought this trouble to their doorstep, I didn’t know what else to do, where to turn. All I kept thinking about was getting to Max. He would know what to do, and he did at first. He protected me. Gave me time to heal, to find some semblance of my former self. To try and be the person I was meant to be all along. Yet, in the course of one day, my axis tilted, and now, the evil I had been hiding from had returned, and he wasn’t going to stop until I was back in his grasp.
The thought of returning to him was too much for me to think about. I couldn’t. Not after everything I had gained. Looking towards the window, I looked at my reflection as tears fell down my face. I knew what was coming. I lived it. My new family didn’t. They were oblivious of the depth the evil bastard reached. He was everywhere. He was all-encompassing. He owned everything and everyone. He didn’t work with anyone, they all worked for him, and he had eyes everywhere.